Percussion instruments such as drums are used in a wide range of musical organizations and situations, including clubs, concerts, dance halls, orchestras, and bands. Although the usage of drums for orchestras and bands which play in a (non-mobile) concert context will not typically require portability for the drum (or the other instruments in the band or orchestra), for a mobile context such as a marching band or military parade formation, the drum needs to be portable to enable the drummer to follow the motions of the overall group. Since drums come in a very wide size range, various methods have been developed to enable drums to move. The largest bass drums are commonly mounted on wheeled structures and pulled along either manually or using motors or engines. Smaller drums, such as “snare” drums, are typically supported by frames which fit over both shoulders of the drummer, wherein this mounting frame locates and supports the drum in a vertical position, i.e., with the drum surface horizontally-oriented at the top of the drum directly in front of the drummer. The weight of the drum as well as the mounting frame is then supported by the shoulders of the drummer.
For the mobile use of the smallest drums, this shoulder-mounted support method may be too expensive, heavy, bulky, or inconvenient. It would be preferred to have an alternative support and mounting method for smaller drums which is cheaper, simpler, less bulky, lighter in weight, and more convenient than the frame methods employed for snare drums.
Hand drums are designed to be held by a user and struck with the user's hand. Some are relatively large and supported by a floor stand. Other hand drums, such as the Remo World Wide Pretuned Hand Drum, from Remo Inc. of Valencia, Calif., and small and designed to be held by a user while drumming. There must be sufficient backing support for the drum so that when the drum is struck, the energy of the strike is primarily applied the drum head, causing it to vibrate, rather than causing the drum itself to move. Small hand drums can be played while the drummer is seated and supporting the drum.
Some drum practice pads, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,338,816; U.S. Pat. No. 4,406,207, and U.S. Pat. No. 8,629,339, include straps that are strapped to the user's thigh. Drum practice pads are not designed to provide a resonance chamber below the drum head to amplify the sound. The sound from a drum practice pad is intentionally muted. Thus, a practice pad is not suitable for use when playing in public with the intention of others hearing the drum.